Informatics Institute, Information Systems

Syllabus: Human-Computer Interaction Kursat Cagiltay

METU INFORMATICS INSTITUTE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

1. TITLE AND CREDIT HOURS

Human-Computer Interaction 3 Credit hours

2. INSTRUCTOR

Name Office Phone Email Office Hours Kursat Cagiltay CEIT Z14 2103683 [email protected] By appointment (e-mail is preferred)

3. CATALOG DESCRIPTION

HCI research is concerned with developing information technology that is compatible with the needs of users. Emerging out of shared concerns in the fields of computer science, psychology, information science, ergonomics, sociology, graphic design and education, HCI researchers study users and groups as social and psychological beings with intentions, attitudes, capabilities, personalities, and desires. In studying users, we learn about the manner in which information tasks are performed, how information is construed and conceptualized, how pervious experience influences current interactions, and how users change over time. Understanding these processes is central to designing new media and tools that will support human use, augment human learning, enhance communication and lead to more acceptable technological developments at the individual and the social levels. This course provides students with a sound introduction to the discipline of HCI and examines the issues of human factors and the design of computer application interfaces. The course has a more psychological and social focus rather than a technical one. It is organized around a collection of readings and real-world exercises concerned with applying HCI research to the design of computer interfaces. The format of this course is problem-centered. The lectures and other resources will be used to support the problems that students are working on throughout the semester.

4. COURSE OBJECTIVES

After (even before) graduation, most of the students will be employed in organizations that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) extensively. Today, computers are part of life. The number of individuals using computers at work and at home has increased rapidly in the last decade and this growth is expected to continue. ICT and Information Systems (IS) are used by all kind of organizations to increase effectiveness and efficiency. This rapid growth in utilization has come from information technology becoming useful for many more activities of interest. Yet frustrations with technology abound. Much technology is hard to use or otherwise disappoints us. Human-computer interaction is a discipline motivated at least in part by a desire to understand the mismatches between people and computers--and, we hope, improve the fit by adapting the computers rather than the people. This course will help students build a solid foundation that helps them understand, design, use, and evaluate usable computer interfaces. The key objectives of this course include:

1 Syllabus: Human-Computer Interaction Kursat Cagiltay

 Develop a theoretical and empirical understanding of user-centered design of computer interfaces, and their uses,  Develop valid and reliable usability evaluation plans for any information technology  Provide a foundation of understanding about HCI issues  Provide an understanding of the social, psychological, and ethical issues associated with HCI design  Offer a set of first-hand experiences which augment conceptual understanding of course content.

5. STUDENT REQUIREMENTS

This course has no prerequisites. The only requirement is reading, writing and discussing. Students’ primary responsibilities will be making weekly readings, critiquing and analyzing them, finding related case studies/hands-on experiences, and organizing and participating class discussions. This series of integrated exercises, both in-class and outside of class time, will link with concepts covered in lectures and readings.

6. PARTICIPATION and ATTENDANCE

The course is designed primarily around foundational readings of the field, case presentations and discussions, which cannot succeed without extensive preparation and participation.

The classroom is designed to be a nourishing environment for promoting individual and team learning. This learning includes analytical, practical, and collaborative project skills. You will be expected to come to class, well prepared to discuss that day’s materials. Therefore, attendance is critical and class participation is highly valued (see the Assignments section).

7. COURSE PHILOSOPHY AND THE INSTRUCTORS’ ROLE

I believe that the best way of learning is realized in authentic real-life environments. Therefore, I will try to provide such learning sources for students. In addition to this, experts will also be invited to some class sessions to share their real-life experiences with you. I encourage you to bring and share cases from your current or previous work experiences. As a part of authentic learning environment, rather than using traditional assessment methods (exams etc.), the grading will mainly be based on real life projects. As stated by Ted Frick, a professor in the School of Education of Indiana University, traditionally a teacher is seen the primary resource for knowledge and makes that knowledge available to students through lectures and demonstrations. However, especially in ICT/IS field, the teacher cannot know everything and a teacher no longer needs to be front and center. "Guide on the side,” describes the role that modern teachers can take. This does not mean that the role of the teacher is diminished. In fact, the opposite is true. Therefore, in this course, we hope that there can be less "sage on the stage" and more "guide on the side." Such an approach definitely requires your participation and contribution.

8. TEXTBOOK(S) AND OTHER RECOMMENDED MATERIAL

A reading package will be used. See section 10.

Useful WWW sites: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). http://usability.gov/ This site was developed to specifically assist HHS Web managers, designers, and authors improve their overall communications and design efforts. Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines http://usability.gov/guidelines/ This Web site is especially important for your Term Projects.

Bad Designs Page: http://www.baddesigns.com This is a great site for examples of the sorts of bad designs that exist all around us. Use this for ideas but not an example of the form I expect from you. The entries here are fine but lack any theoretical analysis. Entries of this kind would likely scrape a CB from me. Minimal theoretical analysis would take these to a BB. To get a higher grade, you need to add some more detail and theoretical rigor. HCIBIB http://www.hcibib.org/ HCI Bibliography : Human-Computer Interaction Resources

ACM SIGCHI http://www.acm.org/sigchi/ ACM SIGCHI brings together people working on the design, evaluation, implementation, and study of interactive computing systems for human use. ACM SIGCHI provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas about the field of human- computer interaction (HCI).

comp.human-factors http://groups.google.com/group/comp.human-factors?hl=en USENET news group.

9. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES

Students will be required to compose, and present to the class, a term paper (5-10 000 words in length) on an issue relevant to the field (broadly defined). Term paper will carry significant portion of the class grade (see below). In addition, students will be required to keep a diary of examples of design problems they observe in their own interactions with technology and present these for discussion throughout the semester. The diary should clearly describe the problem and recommend design improvements based on the concepts and methods discussed in the class (see below). Small portion of the grade will be decided on the basis of class contribution throughout the semester and term paper presentation.

Attendance at all classes is required and students will be expected to have thoroughly read all required material and be able to summarize and debate points in open discussion. An electronic discussion list will be constructed at the start of the semester to support the delivery of class notes from the instructor, and foster discussion among students.

Term paper The term paper is a test of your ability to tackle a topic in the domain of HCI in a cohesive and in- depth fashion. You will be expected to write in the form that is typical of published articles, and indeed excellent essays will be polished for possible submission to a journal if appropriate. Two basic types of paper are acceptable - either a substantive examination of an issue germane to the field or an empirical study. In either case, students are expected to demonstrate relevance of their work to HCI generally, review and synthesize the appropriate literature, display their own contribution, and present the result in a readable and fully-referenced form. Those choosing to do an empirical study must also clearly outline the methods of data collection and analysis performed. In either case, it is expected that students will need to read literature beyond the class reading list. Term papers are due Final Exam date. Papers should be turned-in hard copy form.

Design Diary The main aim of the diary is to make students focus on analyzing interaction through real-world examples, and by so doing, to relate their analyses to the literature on HCI. All students are expected to document 3 examples and each one is assessed according to the following criteria:  Relevance - is it a HCI design issue?  Description - can the reader envisage the issue clearly?  Theory - how does this issue relate to the literature on HCI?  Recommendation - how might the issue be resolved? Students should aim to submit diary entries to the class either in class for open feedback throughout the semester. Final diaries are due by, December 5th. Each week I will call on someone in class to outline a potential entry for their diary so that the class can gain some insight into how everyone is progressing. Each entry should be no longer than 4 pages and no less than 1 page (excluding any supporting figures or diagrams). Graphics, photographs, sketches etc. are all acceptable means of getting your point across. Samples of diary entries will be presented in class.

Usability Test (20 pts)

The purpose of this assignment is to make students familiar with two major usability techniques. You will conduct a usability test with Heuristics Approach and User Test. In your report compare and contrast findings from both approaches.

Participation-Presentation-Quiz Class participation is the key for your success. You need to make all the readings in advance and join the discussions. During the semester I will give pop-quizzes about the related weeks’ readings.

10 pts

Library Journal Analysis

The main aim of this assignment is to make you familiar with the major journals/books and mainstream research issues of the field. You will conduct a brief analysis of HCI journals. Take at least 3 journals and their issues from at least last two years. Your analysis may have different focuses. Examples:

- Trends in HCI - Differences between methodological approaches - Technologies - Future issues No more than 3 pages please. You may present your findings in Tables or bulleted points.

Grading Summary Design Diary (3 items) 15 (10+5) Usability Test 20 Term Paper 50 (40 + 10) Participation/Presentations-Quiz 10 Library Journal Analysis 5 Total 100

10. WEEKLY PROGRAM Class-1 September – Introduction the course.

Getting to know you, Course Introduction, Syllabus (It is on the Web), Assignments, Participation Warm-up assignment

Class-2 – September 23: What is HCI and why is it important?

* Pew, R.W. (1995). Evolution of HCI: From Memex to Bluetooth and beyond. In Jacko, J.A., Sears, A. (eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc., 2-17. * Landauer, T. (1995). Excuses. In Landauer (Ed.) 'The Trouble with Computers,' Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 83-113. * Shackel, B. (1997). Human-Computer Interaction - Whence and Whither? Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 48(11), 970-986. * Shneiderman, B. (1998). Human Factors of Interactive Software. In 'Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction', Addison-Wesley, 2-49, 3rd edition. * Nesin, A. (19??). Dolmuşun Kapısı. In İstanbul’un halleri, Nesin Yayınevi, 147-154.

Class-3 – September 30: From interface to interaction: views, frameworks and lessons

Objective: To understand the nature of the user interface, their forms and relative advantages/disadvantages, as well as to appreciate the different conceptualizations that exist of interaction with computers

* Norman, D. (1988). The Psychology of Everyday Actions. In Norman (Ed), 'The Psychology of Everyday Things', New York: Basic Books, 34-53. (NB - this book is also titled the 'Design of Everyday Things,' in more recent editions) * Suchman, L. (1987) Interactive Artifacts. In Suchman (Ed.) 'Plans and Situated Actions' New York: Cambridge University Press, 5-26. * Preece, J. (1994) Interaction Styles. In Preece (Ed), 'Human-Computer Interaction', Addison Wesley, 261-283. * Byrne, M., John, B., Wehrle, N. and Crow, D. (1999) The Tangled Web We Wove: A Taskonomy of WWW use. Proceedings of ACM CHI 99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, v.1, 544-551. http://chil.rice.edu/byrne/Pubs/chi99web.pdf

Class-4 – October 7: What is a good user interface: Guidelines, Styles, and Evidence

Objective: To identify the ideals of good design, the utility and limits of design guidelines, and the value of empirical measures of user performance and preference

* Johnson, J. et al (1995). The Xerox Star: A retrospective. In Baecker, R., Grudin, J. Buxton, W. and Greenberg, S. (eds.) 'Readings in Human-Computer Interaction, Toward the Year 2000' NY: Morgan-Kaufman, 53-70. http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Office/7101/retrospect/ * Apple Computer (1992). Human Interface Principles. In 'Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines' Addison Wesley, 3-14 (Ch.1). http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/mac/pdf/HIGuidelines.pdf * Tullis, T. and Kodomer, M. (1992) A comparison of direct manipulation, selection and data entry techniques for reordering fields in a table. Human Factors Perspectives on HCI, 266-270. * Tractinsky, N. (1997) Aesthetics and apparent usability: empirically assessing cultural and methodological issues. Proceedings of ACM CHI 97 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, v.1, 115-122. http://cpe.njit.edu/dlnotes/CIS/CIS675/cis675_25.pdf or http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi97/proceedings/paper/nt.htm

Class-5 – October 14: Usability engineering

Objective: To understand how usability is defined and measured, and to appreciate how user activities can be described and analyzed for design

* Bailey, S. (1993). Iterative methodology and Designer Training in Human Computer Interface design. Proceedings of ACM INTERCHI'93 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 198-205.

* Shackel, B. (1991). Usability - Context, Framework, Definition, Design and Evaluation. In Shackel, B. and S. Richardson (eds.), 'Human Factors for Informatics Usability,' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 21-37. * Nielsen, J. (1993). What is Usability? In 'Usability Engineering', Cambridge MA: Academic Press, 23-48. * Stammers R. and Shepherd, A. (1995). Task Analysis. In. N. Corlett and J. Wilson (eds.) 'The Evaluation of Human Work,' London: Taylor and Francis, 144-168

Class-6 – October 21: Evaluation strategies for usable interface design: Heuristic Evaluation and Cognitive Walkthrough

Objective: To develop an understanding of the relative advantages and disadvantages of major forms of usability evaluation and to identify the major issues to address in planning reliable and valid usability tests in both theoretical and applied terms

* Mack and Nielsen (1994) Executive Summary. In Mack and Nielsen, 'Usability Inspection Methods,' Wiley, 1-23. * Sweeney, M., Maguire, M. and Shackel, B. (1993) Evaluating user-computer interaction - a framework. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 38, 689-711. * Virzi, R., Sokolov, J. and Karos, D. (1996). Usability problem identification using both low and high fidelity prototypes. Proceedings of ACM CHI 96 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, v.1, 236-243. http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi96/proceedings/papers/Virzi/RAVtext.htm * Eberts, R. (1994) Human Information Processing. In Eberts (Ed), 'User Interface Design', New York: Prentice-Hall, 164-179. * Card, S., and Moran, T.(1986). User Technology: From pointing to pondering. In Baecker, R., Grudin, J. Buxton, W. and Greenberg, S. (eds.) 'Readings in Human-Computer Interaction, Toward the Year 2000' NY: Morgan-Kaufman, 183-198.

Class-7 – October 28: Beyond usability engineering: Understanding the user (part 1) Human Cognition (Interaction and Psychology)

Objective: To become familiar with the nature of user psychology, with specific emphasis on the cognitive issues of HCI

* Gerrit C. van der Veer, and Maria del Carmen Puerta Melguizo (2003). Mental Models. In Julie A. Jacko and Andrew Sears (Eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications, Erlbaum, 53-79. * Eberts, R. (1994) Mental Models. In Eberts (Ed), 'User Interface Design', New York: Prentice- Hall, 139-163. * Eberts, R. (1994) Spatial Reasoning and Graphics. In Eberts (Ed), 'User Interface Design', New York: Prentice-Hall, 229-259.

* Norman, K. (1991). Search behavior in Hierarchical Menu Structures. In Norman, K. (Ed.) 'The Psychology of Menu Selection,' Norwood: Ablex Publishing, 214-236. * Olson, J, and Olson, G, (1990). The growth of cognitive modeling in HCI since GOMS. In Baecker, R., Grudin, J. Buxton, W. and Greenberg, S. (eds.), Readings in Human-Computer Interaction, Toward the Year 2000, NY: Morgan-Kaufman, 603-625.

Class-8 – November 4: Understanding the user (part 2) Individual differences: Personality, Disabilities , anxiety, and age.

Objective: To better understand the differences between users that matter in HCI

* Dillon, A. and Watson, C. (1996) User analysis in HCI. International Journal of Human- Computer Studies, 45(6), 619-637. * Sharit, J. and Czaja S. (1994). Aging, computer-based task performance and stress: issues and challenges, Ergonomics, 37(4), 559-577. * Fogg, B. and Naas, C. (1997). Silicon sycophants: the effects of computers that flatter. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 46(5), 551-561. * Oosterholt, R., Kusano, M., de Vries, G. (1996). Interaction design and human factors support in the development of a personal communicator for children. Proceedings of ACM CHI 96 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, v. 1, 450-457.

Class-9 – November 11: Understanding the user (part 3) Human Capabilities: Learning, errors, and training

Objective: To understand the acquisition of interactive skill and the role of interface design in enhancing or inhibiting user performance

* Carrol, J. and Mack, R. (1984). Learning to use a word processor. In Thomas and Schneider (eds) Human Factors in Computer Systems, pp. 13-51. Lazonder, A. and van der Meij, H. (1993) The minimal manual: is less really more? International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 39, 729-745. * Dillon, A. (1987). Knowledge acquisition and conceptual models: a cognitive analysis of the interface. In: D. Diaper and R. Winder (eds.) People and Computers III, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 371-379. Santhanam, R. and Wiedenbeck, S. (1993). Neither novice nor expert: the discretionary user of software. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 38, 201-229.

Class-10 – November 18: The environment of use: implementation and resistance of new technology

Objective: To understand both the context in which technology is used, and the dynamics of acceptance or resistance by users in organizations

* Eason, K. (1988). Towards the Socio-Technical Design of Information Technology. In 'Information Technology and Organizational Change,' London: Taylor and Francis, 44-59. * Markus, L. (1987). Power, Politics and MIS Implementation. In 'The Social Impacts of Computing', 68-82. * Dillon, A. and Morris, M.(1996) User acceptance of information technology: theories and models. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. Medford NJ: Information Today Inc., 3-32. http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~adillon/publications/userperceptions.html

November 25: Ramadan Holiday

Class-11 -- December 2: The Design Process (part 1): Improving technology through User-Centered Design

Objective: To understand how technology is developed so that we might better appreciate how to influence designs at the earliest stages.

* Boehm, B. (1988). A spiral model of software development and enhancement. In Baecker, R., Grudin, J. Buxton, W. and Greenberg, S. (eds.) 'Readings in Human-Computer Interaction, Toward the Year 2000' NY: Morgan-Kaufman, 281-292. * Dillon, A. (1994). Electronic Documents as Usable Artifacts. In Dillon (Ed.), 'Designing Usable Electronic Text,' Bristol, PA: Taylor and Francis, 11-27. Savage, P and Pearsall, S. (1998). A case study in iterative design. Ergonomics in Design, 6(1), 18- 25.

Class-12 – December 9: The design process (part 2): Understanding how designers think

Objective: To appreciate how designers work and arrive at their products, in order to better appreciate how we may influence their work

* Wroblewski, D. (1991) The construction of human-computer interfaces considered as craft. In Karat (ed.) Taking Software Design Seriously, NY: Academic Press, 1-19. * Cohill, A. (1991) Information Architecture and the Design Process. In Karat (ed.) Taking Software Design Seriously, NY: Academic Press, 95-113. * Carey, T. et. al (1996). HCI Design Rationale as a Learning Resource. In Carroll, J. and Moran, T. (eds.) 'Design Rationale,' NJ: LEA, 373-392.

Class-13 – December 16: Ethics in the design of information systems for users

Batya Friedman and Peter H. Kahn Jr. (2003). Human values, Ethics, and Design. In Julie A. Jacko and Andrew Sears (Eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications, Erlbaum, 1178-1176. * Shneiderman, B. (1991). Human values and the Future of Technology: A Declaration of Empowerment. ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 23(1), 11-16. * Weisband, S. and Reinig, B. (1995). Managing User Perceptions of Email Privacy, Communications of the ACM, 38(12), 40-47. * Johnson and Mulvey (1995). Accountability and computer decision systems. Communications of the ACM, 38(12), 58-64. Class-14 – December 23: Case studies

Objective: To see how HCI theories and methods translate into real design activities and to demonstrate how HCI practitioners communicate findings and experiences to each other.

* Salomon, G. (1989). A case study in interface design. In Baecker, Grudin, Buxton and Greenberg (eds.) 'Readings in HCI. Toward the Year 2000,' NY: Morgan Kaufman, 25-34. * Gray, W. et al (1992). The precis of project Ernestine or An overview of a validation of GOMS. Proceedings of ACM CHI'92 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 307-312 * Instone, K. et al (1993). Empirically-based re-design of a Hypertext encyclopedia. Proceedings of ACM INTERCHI'93 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 500-506. Wexelblat, A. and Maes, P. (1999). Footprints: History-Rich Tools for Information Foraging. Proceedings of ACM CHI 99 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, v.1, 270-277. * Rieman, J. et al (1992) A visit to a very small database. Proceedings of ACM CHI'92 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 471-478.

Class-15 December 31: Student presentations

Acknowledgements: Some parts of this document has been taken from Dr. A. Dillon's 'L542: Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction' Fall '99 syllabus. I would like to thank Dr. Dillon for letting me use his resources.